Have Faith in Me
by Numbah 9
Summary: Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie realize that once again, they're both in great danger. And this time they have to work together better than ever. During their new mission they discover that the only way to save each other is to realize what it means to love
1. Thoughts

**A/N: My first 1/362 story. Enjoy!**

Rachel McKenzie sat in her usual seat, up at the Moonbase. The bridge was quiet, left; no sign of danger. At times like these she used her chair not to look if there was an attack coming, or anything else that had to do with adult danger. The only thing she did was stare into the darkness, the deepness of space. She used moments like this to do nothing but think. Think about missions she'd had. Missions that brought happiness; missions that brought sadness. But especially missions… that had to do with him.

Numbuh 362, that was her name among the organisation. An organisation she was supposed to run. But during that one mission she totally screwed up her job as the Supreme Leader of KND. She had acted like a total coward. A coward, that felt how the pressure of more than a buhmillion kids relying on her was getting too much. So she chose the easy way out: with one simple tag she decided someone else should take over her job. But soon this little game turned into a dangerous mission, that would've destroyed every Kids Next Door operative, including her… if it wasn't for him.

He had taught her not to be afraid of her fears. He had told her to keep moving on, no matter the pressure. He had assured her she was a great leader, suited for this job. And she still didn't believe him.

_I owe you, Nigel, _she told the enduring silence in thought. _It doesn't matter what you say. I owe you. You're the one who saved us all, not me. I don't understand why you keep telling me the opposite… you're supposed to be the leader, not me._

"Am I interrupting?"

She recognised his voice all too well, and she didn't know how fast to turn her head and observe him. His face, his smile. That comforting smile. He had smiled at her the same way during the game of tag.

"… No, Numbuh 1. It's okay," she replied. She tried to smile back, but got disturbed by the uncomfortable feeling a nervous grimace greeted her teammate instead.

Nigel didn't seem to notice; the smile stayed. "How are you doing?" he asked, walking closer to her.

Rachel got off her chair and approached him as well. "I… guess I'm fine," she told him.

"What were you thinking about?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow up her forehead. "How did you know I was thinking?"

Nigel's smiled widened in sympathy. "This room not often as abandoned as now. I noticed you were the only one left. This is a good place to think when there's no one here, isn't it?"

He always managed to read her mind. Rachel wondered how he was always able to know what she was thinking. Sometimes she called it fate, other times coincidence. And yet, she knew for sure… that he'd call it fate as well. His ability to look through her eyes made her return the smile.

"Yes, it is. But it's not like I was thinking about important things. Just… random things."

"An excellent moment to think the pressure off of you, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" Rachel looked away from him, facing the deepness of space again. "It is. I don't have much time to do things like this. There's always a new mission, another attack… Do adults never get tired?"

"You're acting like you're tired of being a Supreme Leader," Nigel commented neutrally. "Like you're always too busy to concern your private life, aside from the KND."

Rachel said nothing. So he continued.

"But it's the opposite, isn't it? You're not tired of being the Supreme Leader and being pushed forward by enduring pressure. You're tired of the fact that you're stuck here 24/7, only to give orders and fill in paperwork. You want to go on a real mission, don't you?"

BANG. He'd done it again. Shot in the rose. Nail on the head. He was really a mind reader.

This thought made Rachel blush, just a small bit. What if what she considered was true? What if he did know what she was thinking, 24 hours a day? And how did he do this? She didn't know. But she wanted to know. She wanted to ask him. But she remained silent. Then she realized she did have to answer him, before he'd throw her a smart remark about her blush that would cause her to end up stunned.

Rachel forced herself to eye him again. He eyed back, still with the same comforting smile.

"Bingo," she told him, in a quiet tone. Signs of her recent complains were nowhere to be found. "I have to admit… that I'm jealous of you, Nigel. Sometimes I wish I could be in your place."

She was about to look away again, to run from his glance. It sort of feared her, but comforted her at the same time. However, his eyes were keeping her trapped in his own, as if they were trying to tell her: _You're not going anywhere, you coward. Stay right here, where you belong._

But his smile told her a different story. _You don't need to be afraid. You can trust in me, and in what I'm telling you. Believe me, mark my words._

_He's being serious, and yet he wants to comfort me, _Rachel concluded, lost in his eyes. She had never realized how deep they were. Even when he helped her to find the right way to take during their mission together.

"I understand," Nigel interrupted her thoughts. He didn't seem to notice how she was feeling about his glance only, because the look on his face didn't change a bit. "I can't say that I'm surprised, not at all. Especially when I get another 'workaholic' comment thrown in my face."

At this comment they both started to chuckle. Rachel could sense how nervously and shyly she sounded, compared to his spontaneous laughter. Then she stopped; another question made her curious to know the answer.

"Why did you come here anyway?" she asked, interrupting Nigel's chuckling.

He looked into her eyes again. "There are no missions at all, as you can see. Last time I, well… desperately tried to achieve one, but it was no use. The result was doomed to face entire boredom as long as the sun stayed up. I'm not making that mistake again. I decided to drop over to the Moonbase, just to see if there's anything exciting going on."

Rachel answered his story with a nervous smile, and three seconds later a nervous shrug. "Well, I'm sorry to say that you didn't manage to get what you wanted here."

"What are you talking about? Of course there is."

Rachel's other eyebrow raised in surprise. "There is?"

Nigel's eyes started to twinkle. "There's you."


	2. Confusion

**A/N: I want to thank both reviewers for so many compliments, to the first chapter only. nn Though, I guess I should've mentioned it's not a one-shot, and that the mission, as the summary says, is yet to come. Oh, and I know Rachel isn't nervous that quickly, but right at the moment she blamed herself for what she'd done wrong the one she was thinking about came in, that's why I made her nervous.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please review!

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Rachel, again feeling blush cross her face, realized she was lost in his eyes for the second time. They were deep, dark, mysterious… even though the twinkles made his pupils light up. She forced the words he'd just spoken to repeat inside her mind. These words were meant for her, only her. And for some reason… they meant something special to her.

The look on Nigel's face hadn't changed a bit. His eyes still serious, yet his smile still comforting, and welcoming. He returned her glance the same way, almost staring. What she didn't know was that he was lost in her eyes as well. He felt too focussed on her charming look to even notice it rather looked surprised.

Silence followed, silence endured. After Nigel had explained why he had found what he was looking for, using three simple words, neither of them said a thing. They were lost in each other's eyes, looking for a way out, and too concentrated to actually notice one another.

Until Rachel did manage to snap out of her trance; because Nigel blinked. For one little moment, he prevented her from entering his look, his eyes, his mind. His deep mind she longed to explore some more, by just exchanging looks.

She was now staring at him as she realized what they had been doing for an entire minute. She knew she was now blushing even more, and started to wonder why Nigel didn't mention it. Even if he wasn't that good at notice, anyone could've seen her red cheeks by now. _He's ignoring my blushing… but why? After all, I'm blushing because of him._

…

Blushing because of him?!

Rachel was no longer looking into Nigel's eyes, because she felt so confused and shocked at the same time she madly started to shake her head. She felt confused because of what they had just been going through; she felt shocked because she now realized the only reason she was blushing… had to be him.

Nigel looked at her in surprise. "Rachel, what is it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. When she didn't seem to react to his question, nor stop to shake her head in the first place, he slowly held out his hands and softly placed them upon her shoulders.

It worked: his sudden touch made her calm down, and she slowly ceased to shake her head from left to right. She made herself look in his direction again, and wanted to say something. She _wished_ she could say something; anything. First she still had a chance to speak without embarrassing herself, but now… now she had been acting like a complete fool.

"I'm…" She got hold of her sleeve and started to tuck it to and fro nervously, looking at the floor. "Nigel, I'm sorry…"

Nigel lowered his eyebrow to its original spot, almost right above his eye. It was nearly touching it, but still visible above his sunglasses. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because… because I acted like an idiot. You must be thinking that--"

His grip on her shoulder tightened to silence her. Nigel was smiling again.

"I'm not thinking anything. Except… are you sure you're feeling well? You wouldn't go and shake your head like that for nothing. Is it a headache?"

Mr Mindreader was right again. It wasn't exactly a headache, but this confusion did make her brain twist so much it started to cause pain.

Yet, before she even noticed herself, Rachel had nodded her head, still interested by the floor underneath their feet. Great; now she had made him believe that something was really wrong with her.

She started to regret that when she felt how his hands slowly left her shoulders, sliding down her arms. When they had reached her wrists, they pulled back, without touching her hands.

"I'll get you an aspirin, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question Nigel already turned away from her, to walk over to the door, and leave the room. And leave her.

That's why Rachel quickly reflexed and managed to embrace his wrist with her hand. "Wait. I'm going with you."


End file.
